The former taoiseach John Bruton said he now regretted not acting on an allegation of corruption relayed to him in 1993.
Speaking outside the Mahon tribunal, the EU ambassador to the United States said he did believe there was an obligation on people such as party leaders to act when they received such information.
"Looking back, I believe if I had the knowledge and understanding I have now, I would have done something else, more than I did, and I regret that." He could not recall any other instance of being told of alleged corruption by a party member.
Asked what was on his mind when he was told by lobbyist Frank Dunlop of the demand for money from a Fine Gael councillor, Mr Bruton said he would have been "taken aback and probably quite disbelieving of it, but on the other hand not knowing it wasn't true either, so I was puzzled as to what I could or should do".
He said he regretted not looking into the matter to see what options he had, and agreed he could have contacted the councillor, the late Tom Hand, or asked Mr Dunlop to put the allegation down on paper. He regretted not doing so.
He said political parties did not have the means to investigate what could potentially be a criminal offence, and could not take evidence on oath or compel the giving of evidence. If a person had sought money he would probably deny it, he said.
Mr Bruton said that his party and he as party leader had been involved in proposing legislative changes to help combat corruption.
What Bruton said . . .
2000 - statement to the tribunal on Mr Bruton's behalf by his counsel in April of that year:"I would like to take the opportunity of reiterating that the leader of Fine Gael, Mr Bruton, continues to deny very vehemently any suggestion that he was ever informed of an attempt at bribery by a named Fine Gael councillor."
2003 - statement furnished to tribunal:"I believe I did have a conversation at the end of the lunch with him. I have no recollection of the content of the conversation. I expect it was inconsequential as otherwise I would remember it."
2007 - in evidence yesterday:"I have come to recollect things being said to me that I did not recollect in 2000 or 2003 and that was due in large measure to the fact that I was able to read the evidence of Mr Dunlop in more detail, which prompted recollections in my mind that previously I didn't have any access to."
